Latest figures show increase of 6.6 per cent to £1.675 billion in 2015

Over 1,800 new jobs created in the industry since 2012

Leicester Shire Promotions has announced that the value of tourism to Leicester and Leicestershire has grown for the seventh consecutive year to reach a record high of £1.675 billion. This is a 6.6 per cent rise on the previous year and a total increase of over 20 per cent since 2012.

The latest research into the performance of the tourism industry* also shows that:

• the economic impact of tourism in Leicester in 2015 was £576 million, up from £541 million in the previous year

• the economic impact value in Leicestershire was £1.099 billion compared to £1.030 billion in 2014

• 32.81 million tourists visited Leicester and Leicestershire in 2015, an increase from 30.41 million in 2014

• tourism supported over 21,441 jobs in Leicester and Leicestershire in 2015, an increase from 20,716 in the previous year

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “A few years ago, people would never have dreamt of Leicester as a tourist destination, but now, we see tourists every day in the heart of our city. "This is great news for Leicester and shows that our investment in the city centre is paying off.

"We recognise, though, that there is still more that we can do and we’ll be investing further to ensure that we welcome people into Leicester and continue to reap the benefits of increased tourism for our city."

County council leader Nick Rushton said: "Tourism is a major part of Leicestershire's economy and I'm delighted that more people are visiting and staying in our great county.

"Our historic attractions and our attractive market towns and countryside mean we are well placed to grow tourism in the future."

Martin Peters, Chief Executive of Leicester Shire Promotions said: “Leicester and Leicestershire have been increasingly in the national and international spotlight over the last couple of years since the discovery and subsequent reinterment of King Richard III and last season’s remarkable Premier League triumph by Leicester City. These latest figures show that the growth curve has remained consistently positive over previous years and we are confident that this period of sustained growth for the industry will continue.”

* The Leicester and Leicestershire research was conducted by Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM). It is the 12th major consecutive study into the economic impact of tourism at a destination level and is based on 2015 data.